Geelong says Gary Ablett won’t be managed through 2020 after declaring his desire to play on
Geelong insists champion Gary Ablett won’t be managed through 2020 after he was one of two Geelong veterans who signed new deals with the club on Thursday.
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Geelong insists there will be no specific management plan for Gary Ablett next year after the veteran superstar committed to a 19th AFL season.
Ablett, 35, enjoyed a blazing first half of 2019, but like his team, found the going tougher in the second half of the campaign.
While the dual Brownlow Medallist was solid in the Cats’ preliminary final loss to Richmond, a quiet qualifying final and semi-final cast doubt over his ability to complete a full season.
But Cats football manager Simon Lloyd said Ablett would be treated like any other player.
“That’s something we talk about in regards to how do you ensure players, whether it be Gary or anyone on our list, are peaking at the right time,” Lloyd said.
“We’ll work through that and work really closely with our medical and conditioning department because we need our players peaking at the right time of the year.
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“We got to the end of the home-and-away season and obviously Gary was named in the 40 for the All-Australian squad.
“So he’d been great form throughout the season and managed that at a certain level consistently throughout the year.”
Ablett’s 24 games this year was the most he has managed in a single season since 2010 — his last at Geelong.
With Luke Hodge retiring, Ablett is now the sole survivor of the 2001 super draft.
The Cats icon said his decision to play-on was motivated by the prospect of one final addition to a bulging trophy cabinet — a third premiership.
“I have no doubt in my mind that as a team we’re capable of winning the premiership next year, which is why I’ve decided to go around again,” Ablett wrote on Exclusive Insight.
“I believe I can still meet, and to an extent exceed my own expectations, and it is for that reason why I have agreed to terms with Geelong and penned a new deal to extend my career for a 19th season.
“I’ll be putting in a lot of hard work during the off-season to give myself the best opportunity to play my role well and perform at the level that I know that I can.
“But this is it. Next season, Year #19, will be my last in the game.”
Re-cast as a near-permanent forward, Ablett kicked 26.13 from his first 13 games and eight from his last 11.
“There were three or four games this year where he was the difference, where he influenced the course of the game,” Lloyd said.
“We’ll be looking for that at different times, but also spreading the load. The best thing that’s happened at Geelong the last couple of years is we have guys who are getting more midfield time and different players are embracing different roles and Gary has been one of those.”
Fellow Cats veteran Harry Taylor will also play on into 2020.
The key defender, 33, has played 261 games since being taken with pick 17 in the 2007 national draft.
Originally published as Geelong says Gary Ablett won’t be managed through 2020 after declaring his desire to play on